Gay, trans Russians visit SF

NEWS

by Heather Cassell

A delegation of LGBT Russians stopped by the Castro
during their visit to San Francisco this week. The group included, from left, Andrey
Obolenskiy, Yuriy Maksimov, Evgeny Pisemskiy, Aleksandr Berezekin, and Gleb
Latnik.(Photo: Bill Wilson)

Gay Russians are fearful of potential new laws that could curtail
their rights even further, a delegation of LGBT Russians told the Bay Area
Reporter this week.

The delegation arrived in Washington, D.C. November 2 as
part of a State Department visitor program. They spent a week meeting with
officials and LGBT leaders of organizations before coming to San Francisco for
a few days to continue connecting with U.S. LGBTs.

The group included Aleksandr Berezekin, a professor's
assistant in humanitarian sciences at Far Eastern Federal University in
Vladivostok; Gleb Latnik, an LGBT activist from Pervouralsk; Yuriy Maksimov, the
leader and founder of Moscow-based Light of Universe and director of regional
development of Russia LGBT Sport Federation; Andrey Obolenskiy, the head of the
Rainbow Association, an LGBT rights group in Moscow; and Evgeny Pisemskiy,
chairman of the board of Parni Plus, an HIV/AIDS treatment organization in
Orel.

The Bay Area Reporter
caught up with the group at its hotel in San Francisco on November 12.

Speaking with three of the delegates – Latnik, Maksimov,
and Pisemskiy – with assistance from translator John Sciglaino, Russia's
war on its LGBT community was discussed, including peoples' fear due to the
anti-gay propaganda law, other laws in the works in Russia; and the upcoming
Winter Olympics in Sochi.

Gay fear

Fear is strong in Russia where a majority of the LGBT
population is deeply in the closet, but there is also a defiant spirit to stay
and fight rather than flee their homeland.

"What I see is fear. LGBT people, most of them are very
nervous about what happens next because there are a lot of laws being prepared
and discussed," said Maksimov, a 33-year-old gay man who lives in Moscow.
He said that an anti-LGBT parenting law that has been tabled recently will
return after the Winter Olympics, along with other anti-gay laws, such as a ban
on LGBTs donating blood.

"The purpose of our Duma, the parliament, is to make
people to stay where they are and not to come out and speak out about the
issues and what they are worried about," said Maksimov.

Russian organizations, LGBT or not, that don't go along with
President Vladimir Putin's rule are experiencing a crackdown, the delegates
said. The delegates spoke freely that they believe Putin is harnessing the
public's fear and ignorance about LGBT people and scapegoating the community to
distract from more serious issues.

"The Russian government is simply channeling popular
anger and is creating an image of this enemy and they chose LGBT people because
the Russian people are naturally afraid of what they don't know," said
Latnik, a 30-year-old gay man.

Latnik became an LGBT rights activist when the anti-homosexuality
propaganda bill was in the process of becoming law. Putin signed the bill in
June.

"Previously, I was like everybody else, but when they
started introducing these homophobic policies in Russia I realized you can't
just sit in your closet," said Latnik, who lives in Pervouralsk in western
Russia. "These laws are not okay."

Fight or flight

Right now there are members of the LGBT community that are
waiting in limbo as they decide whether to stay or leave Russia.

"There will be certain people who have no other way but
leaving the country," to protect themselves and their family, said Maksimov,
who has friends who have suffered from violence in the streets and the attack
on 7FreeDays Club, a Moscow gay bar, in October 2012.

Maksimov spoke with controlled anger about American evangelicals
and right-wing conservatives' influence on Russian political and religious
leaders during visits to the country.

"I would like to meet that bastard who supports this
Family Research Institute. I want to ask him to apologize in front of the church
for misinformation, lies, and insulting a lot of LGBT people," said Maksimov.

As a founder and one of the leaders of Light of the World,
an LGBT Christian church, he openly challenged one priest in particular who
preaches against homosexuality on a weekly basis simply by being present during
services, he said.

He plans to use information gathered on this trip to discredit
the lies fed to religious and political leaders from the Family Research
Institute. He also plans on conducting more research on LGBT Russians to learn
more about the community and to educate community leaders.

He was inspired by his visit to the U.S. and encouraged to
continue his work for LGBT Russians.

"I have insurance that I have a lot of support from the
U.S.," he said.

Like the U.S., Russia has many minority groups, he said, with
which he plans to build alliances.

Sporting spirit

The Russian LGBT delegates perceive the pressure put on
Putin being brought about by his administration's aggressive homophobic laws
and the spotlight on the upcoming Winter Olympics as a positive, in spite of
the violence against the community that has occurred.

"I see a positive side to these laws that have appeared.
I compare it to the time when the HIV/AIDS epidemic started here in the
U.S.," said Pisemskiy, 36, and the openly gay board chairman of Parni
Plus.

"It was a very powerful catalyst for the community and
people were seeing their loved ones and family members dying and facing death
themselves – no other choice than to struggle. This sort of situation is
starting to take shape in Russia," added Pisemskiy.

Maksimov also works as the director of regional development
for the Russia Sport LGBT Federation, with 17 branches throughout Russia.

While discussion of human rights and LGBT issues in particular
will not be tolerated during the Winter Olympics in Sochi, said Maksimov,
silent but visible actions are being planned to occur during the ceremonies and
following the Olympics, he said.

None of the LGBT Russian activists supported a boycott of
the Olympics in Sochi.

The delegation next visits San Antonio, Texas; Jacksonville,
Florida; and will wrap up its trip in New York City before returning to Russia
on November 24, said Sciglaino.

Got international LGBT news tips? Call or send them to
Heather Cassell at 00+1-415-221-3541, Skype: heather.cassell, or moitwnews@gmail.com.